Hiller Leads the 51st STPGA Professional Championship After Round One

August 26th, 2019

RICHMOND, TEXAS --- Greg Hiller, PGA Director of Instruction at TPC San Antonio, sits atop of the leaderboard after shooting an opening round of 70 (-2) at the 51st Southern Texas PGA Championship presented by Cadillac, Club Car, Nine Iron Wines, and OMEGA.

Five PGA Professionals sit just one stroke back at one-under-par. Craig Hicks, PGA Head Professional at Eagle Pointe Golf Club, Robert Scott, PGA Teaching Professional at Royal Oaks Country Club, Darrell Fuston, PGA Director of Golf at The Woodlands Country Club, Robert Thompson, PGA Teaching Professional at Whispering Pines Golf Club, and Ben Kern, PGA Head Professional at Georgetown Country Club, all fired rounds of 71.

The field is competing for seven qualifying spots into the 2020 PGA Professional Championship presented by Cadillac, Club Car, and OMEGA. The Championship will be contested April 26-29, 2020 at Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin. Casey Russell, PGA Head Professional at Golfcrest Country Club, is automatically exempt into the 2020 PGA Professional Championship with his top-20 finish at the 2019 PGA Professional Championship at Belfair in May. Omar Uresti is also exempt into the 2020 event after winning the Championship in 2017.

This 54-hole event is the final of five individual stroke play championships that comprise the OMEGA Player of the Year Points List. It also serves as a qualifier to earn points towards making the 2019 Texas Joe Black Cup Matches team and Levy Cup Matches team.

The Southern Texas PGA Professional Championship presented by Cadillac, Club Car, and OMEGA is being hosted at Shadow Hawk Golf Club, a 7,207-yard, par 72 layout that will play at 7,046-yards for this week’s Championship. This marks the first time Shadow Hawk Golf Club has hosted a Major Championship for the Section.